Ingestible capsules are well-known in the prior art. Such capsules are generally small pill-like devices that can be ingested or swallowed by a patient. It is known that such capsules may include one or more sensors for determining physiological parameters of the gastrointestinal tract, such as sensors for detecting temperature, pH, pressure and the like.
It is also known that capsules may be activated by removing the packaging from the capsule and either inserting a battery into the capsule or manually turning the capsule on. Alternatively, it is known that a magnetic latch may be used to control the activation of the capsule. Such a latch will disconnect an electrical circuit in the presence of a magnetic field. With this arrangement, the capsule is packaged with a permanent magnet and, while the capsule is in the packaging, the latch is held in an inactive disconnected state by the enclosed magnet. When the capsule is removed from the packaging and separated from the magnetic field, the latch closes and connect the battery, thereby activating the capsule. This type of arrangement has a number of drawbacks such as cost, weight and size because a permanent magnet must be included in the packaging.
It is also known that capsules having pH sensors may be calibrated by removing the capsule from the packaging and placing it in a separate container of solution with a known pH. For example, it is know that a capsule may be calibrated with a dedicated calibration unit that contains several vials of buffer solutions at known pH levels. Calibration is performed by filling the vials with the appropriate solutions. An activated capsule is then placed in the first vial and the separate calibration unit is turned on. The calibration unit then prompts the user to move the capsule from vial to vial as the capsule is calibrated with each solution. However, such methods of calibration have a number of drawbacks such as inefficiency, risk of contamination, and lack of standardization.
Thus, there is a need for capsule packaging that allows for standardized calibration of sensors on the capsule, that limits the risk of contamination, and that allows for activation of the capsule at the desired time.